Prompt: During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine whenyour CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson? Is the approach your CT used during this lesson consistent with what you know about how students learn?
Observations:
On Wednesday, September 28th I observed Mr. Varden's Physics 1 (H) and Physics 2 (H) classes. During this observation I made sure to pay strict attention to how Mr. Varden began each of his classes. Mr. Varden was on his free period prior to the beginning of the Physics 1 (H) class and therefore we were in the classroom with no students around. Once the bell rang (signaling the end of the period) we knew that students would begin to file into the classroom. Mr. Varden stood towards the front of the classroom and very pleasantly greeted each and every student that walked in. The students returned his gesture and found their desk in the room waiting for the beginning of the period. Mr. Varden remained at his post at the front of the room until the second bell sounded (signaling the end of the alloted passing time). He then greeted the class as a whole and established order immediately after the bell. He then proceeded with the daily routine and told the students that it was time for their "Daily Question". There was a noticeable change of energy in the classroom as all of the students sat up and were seemingly excited. Mr. Varden took out a plastic container at the front of the room labeled "Daily Question" and he then passed around blank squares of paper for the students to write on. Finally, he read a short question from a trivial pursuit game that he keeps in his desk drawer ("How thick is a hockey puck?"). The students had 60 seconds to write their response and place their answer in the plastic container at the front of the room. At the end of the class period Mr. Varden would pick out the slips one by one and read the responses until he found one that was correct. This person would receive a "Varden dollar" which could be redeemed for 1 bonus point on any quiz or test. This routine is how Mr. Varden starts every one of his classes.
Once the daily question routine was taken care of, Mr. Varden instructed his students to take out their homework from the previous night and he went around and checked to make sure that they all had completed it. They received a "2" if they completed it fully, a "1" if they made a partial attempt, and a "0" if they hadn't done it at all. He then went back to the front of the room and pulled out a second plastic container. This plastic container contained popsicle sticks with the names of all of the students in the class. He would draw one and ask that person which problem they would like to write out on the board (for a "Varden Dollar"). If the student didn't wish to partake they could simply say pass. Once the name was drawn Mr. Varden would put it aside and draw another one. This allowed him to have more class participation and excitement when going over the homework. This is the homework procedure for the class each and every day. This concluded the beginning of both of the class periods that I observed.
Reflections:
Observing Mr. Varden for the first time was a wonderful experience for me and I was very impressed with his teaching style as well as his effectiveness in managing his class and keeping them motivated. While I am observing him I am constantly evaluating his teaching style and determining if I would ever use similar strategies in my own teaching. I absolutely loved the way that Mr. Varden began each class and I also was impressed by his homework procedure. I think that both of these routines make the students more engaged and excited about coming to physics class. The daily routines seem to be what they look forward to the most. The "Daily Question" and the homework procedure also got all of the students involved and participating in the lesson. I definitely will use these ideas in my teaching in the future. I also loved the "Varden dollar" idea and feel as though the students were very excited about having bonus point as rewards.
I would however, make a few modifications to these procedures. I would try to make sure that the daily questions were related in one way or another to the content that the students are studying or to physics in general. This would be a way to teach students important/ interesting facts throughout the school year. The Daily question might also be a good opportunity to show students what NECAP or AP test questions look like. This would give them practice that could definitely affect their performance on the respective exams. The premise of the idea of the "Daily question" is excellent. It definitely gives students the opportunity to settle down and stop thinking about whatever they were thinking about in the hallway. It's a perfect transition. It is certainly consistent with what we have learned about how students learned. Mr. Varden enagaged them from the start of the lesson and made the excited to be in physics class. Engagement leads to motivation and motivation is key to learning effectively.
I definitely learned a lot from spending a day with Mr. Varden and I am excited to return next week!
Class Topic: Group presentations and 2D kinematics Grade: 11th and 12th Observed by: Dave McArdle
Observations:
On Wednesday, September 28th I observed Mr. Varden's Physics 1 (H) and Physics 2 (H) classes. During this observation I made sure to pay strict attention to how Mr. Varden began each of his classes. Mr. Varden was on his free period prior to the beginning of the Physics 1 (H) class and therefore we were in the classroom with no students around. Once the bell rang (signaling the end of the period) we knew that students would begin to file into the classroom. Mr. Varden stood towards the front of the classroom and very pleasantly greeted each and every student that walked in. The students returned his gesture and found their desk in the room waiting for the beginning of the period. Mr. Varden remained at his post at the front of the room until the second bell sounded (signaling the end of the alloted passing time). He then greeted the class as a whole and established order immediately after the bell. He then proceeded with the daily routine and told the students that it was time for their "Daily Question". There was a noticeable change of energy in the classroom as all of the students sat up and were seemingly excited. Mr. Varden took out a plastic container at the front of the room labeled "Daily Question" and he then passed around blank squares of paper for the students to write on. Finally, he read a short question from a trivial pursuit game that he keeps in his desk drawer ("How thick is a hockey puck?"). The students had 60 seconds to write their response and place their answer in the plastic container at the front of the room. At the end of the class period Mr. Varden would pick out the slips one by one and read the responses until he found one that was correct. This person would receive a "Varden dollar" which could be redeemed for 1 bonus point on any quiz or test. This routine is how Mr. Varden starts every one of his classes.Once the daily question routine was taken care of, Mr. Varden instructed his students to take out their homework from the previous night and he went around and checked to make sure that they all had completed it. They received a "2" if they completed it fully, a "1" if they made a partial attempt, and a "0" if they hadn't done it at all. He then went back to the front of the room and pulled out a second plastic container. This plastic container contained popsicle sticks with the names of all of the students in the class. He would draw one and ask that person which problem they would like to write out on the board (for a "Varden Dollar"). If the student didn't wish to partake they could simply say pass. Once the name was drawn Mr. Varden would put it aside and draw another one. This allowed him to have more class participation and excitement when going over the homework. This is the homework procedure for the class each and every day. This concluded the beginning of both of the class periods that I observed.
Reflections:
Observing Mr. Varden for the first time was a wonderful experience for me and I was very impressed with his teaching style as well as his effectiveness in managing his class and keeping them motivated. While I am observing him I am constantly evaluating his teaching style and determining if I would ever use similar strategies in my own teaching. I absolutely loved the way that Mr. Varden began each class and I also was impressed by his homework procedure. I think that both of these routines make the students more engaged and excited about coming to physics class. The daily routines seem to be what they look forward to the most. The "Daily Question" and the homework procedure also got all of the students involved and participating in the lesson. I definitely will use these ideas in my teaching in the future. I also loved the "Varden dollar" idea and feel as though the students were very excited about having bonus point as rewards.I would however, make a few modifications to these procedures. I would try to make sure that the daily questions were related in one way or another to the content that the students are studying or to physics in general. This would be a way to teach students important/ interesting facts throughout the school year. The Daily question might also be a good opportunity to show students what NECAP or AP test questions look like. This would give them practice that could definitely affect their performance on the respective exams. The premise of the idea of the "Daily question" is excellent. It definitely gives students the opportunity to settle down and stop thinking about whatever they were thinking about in the hallway. It's a perfect transition. It is certainly consistent with what we have learned about how students learned. Mr. Varden enagaged them from the start of the lesson and made the excited to be in physics class. Engagement leads to motivation and motivation is key to learning effectively.
I definitely learned a lot from spending a day with Mr. Varden and I am excited to return next week!
Class Topic: Group presentations and 2D kinematics
Grade: 11th and 12th
Observed by: Dave McArdle